The Effect of Corn Ensiling Methods on Digestibility and Biogas Yield

Karol Kupryaniuk (), Kamil Witaszek (), Iryna Vaskina, Sebastian Filipek-Kaźmierczak, Jakub Kupryaniuk, Piotr Sołowiej and Jacek Dach
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Karol Kupryaniuk: Department of Biosystems Engineering, Poznań University of Life Sciences, Wojska Polskiego 50, 60-627 Poznań, Poland
Kamil Witaszek: Department of Biosystems Engineering, Poznań University of Life Sciences, Wojska Polskiego 50, 60-627 Poznań, Poland
Iryna Vaskina: Department of Biosystems Engineering, Poznań University of Life Sciences, Wojska Polskiego 50, 60-627 Poznań, Poland
Sebastian Filipek-Kaźmierczak: BioTech Agro Africa, Nenckiego 136A, 52-223 Wrocław, Poland
Jakub Kupryaniuk: Department of Economics, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University, Maria Curie-Skłodowska Square 5, 20-031 Lublin, Poland
Piotr Sołowiej: Department of the Electrotechnics Energetics Electronics and Automatics, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Oczapowskiego 11, 10-736 Olsztyn, Poland
Jacek Dach: Department of Biosystems Engineering, Poznań University of Life Sciences, Wojska Polskiego 50, 60-627 Poznań, Poland

Energies, 2025, vol. 18, issue 1, 1-15

Abstract: This study investigates the impact of different corn silage preparation methods, namely the traditional and Shredlage methods, on digestibility and biogas yield in anaerobic digestion and its nutritional value—the first complex study of its kind. Key parameters of both silage types were analyzed, including chemical composition, fiber content, and elemental makeup. Methane and biogas production were assessed under standardized fermentation conditions. The results showed that the Shredlage method, characterized by more intensive chopping, led to higher biogas and methane yields per unit of organic dry matter compared to traditional silage. This improvement is attributed to enhanced digestibility due to the lower content of neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), and crude fiber in Shredlage. An elemental analysis revealed slight differences in carbon-to-nitrogen (C/N) ratios, with both silages showing values suitable for efficient fermentation. Despite minor variations in mineral content, Shredlage demonstrated greater efficiency in biogas production, particularly for rapid fermentation processes. The findings underscore the importance of silage preparation techniques in optimizing biogas yield and suggest Shredlage as a superior option for enhancing energy recovery in biogas plants. Future work should explore the economic trade-offs and scalability of these methods.

Keywords: corn silage; methane fermentation; biogas efficiency; raw materials (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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